Computer controlled processes rely upon graphical user interfaces to effect the man-machine interface. The page windows of the present invention are comprised of a base image screen that includes regions responsive to control and status stimuli, as well as static graphic representations. The base image screen is merged with a secondary image, which includes regions responsive to control and status stimuli, as well as static graphic representations. The process of merging the secondary image includes preventing the display of certain control and status regions on the base image, as dictated by the secondary image. Multiple secondary screens can be merged on the base image screen, thereby allowing multiple page windows to be created using only a base image and a plurality of secondary screens.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A page window for a computer display screen, comprising: a base image comprising at least one base image element, wherein the base image element is at least one of a base control element, a base static element and a base status element for display on the page window; and at least one secondary image comprising at least one secondary image element, wherein the secondary image element is at least one of a secondary control element, a secondary static element and a secondary status element for display on the page window, wherein the at least one secondary image completely overlays the base image and the base image element and is merged with the base image, thereby creating the page window, and during the merger, if a base image element has a corresponding secondary image element, the merger blanks out both the base image element and the corresponding secondary image element from the created page window.
2. The page window as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the base image is derived from a plurality of base images.
3. The page window as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one secondary image comprises a plurality of secondary images.
4. A plurality of page windows for a computer controlled process, each page window comprising: a base image, comprising at least one base image element, that forms the background for the plurality of page windows presented by the computer controlled process, wherein the base image element is at least one of a base control element, a base static element and a base status element; and a plurality of secondary images, each secondary image comprising at least one secondary image element, wherein the secondary image element is at least one of a base control element, a base static element and a base status element, wherein each of the plurality of page windows presented by the computer controlled process is formed by a merger of at least one of the plurality of secondary images with the base image, wherein the plurality of secondary images completely overlay the base image, thereby creating each page window, and during the merger of a secondary image with the base image, if a base image element has a corresponding secondary image element, the merger blanks out both the base image element and the corresponding secondary image element from the created page window.
5. The plurality of page windows as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the base image is derived from a plurality of base images.
6. A page window for a computer controlled process, comprising: a base image comprising at least one base image element responsive to either control or status stimuli; and a plurality of secondary images, wherein at least one of the plurality of secondary images comprises at least one secondary image element responsive to either control or status stimuli, wherein one of the plurality of secondary images completely overlays the base image and the base image element and is merged with the based image, thereby creating the page window, and during the merger, if a base image element has a corresponding secondary image element, the merger blanks out both the base image element and the corresponding secondary image element from the created page window.
7. The page window for a computer controlled process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the base image further comprises at least one base static element.
8. The page window for a computer controlled process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of secondary images further comprises at least one secondary static element.
9. The page window for a computer controlled process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the at least one secondary image element responsive to control stimuli modifies the at least one base image element responsive to control stimuli.
10. The page window for a computer controlled process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the at least one secondary image element responsive to status stimuli modifies the at least one base image element responsive to status stimuli.
11. The page window for a computer controlled process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the base image is derived from a plurality of base images.
12. A method for displaying page windows for a computer controlled process on a computer display screen, the method comprising: retrieving a base image composed of at least one base image element from storage; retrieving a secondary image composed of at least one secondary image element from storage; merging the retrieved base image with the retrieved secondary image to form a page window, wherein the retrieved secondary image completely overlays the retrieved base image and is merged with the base image, thereby creating the page window, and during the merger, if a base image element has a corresponding secondary image element, the merger blanks out both the base image element and the corresponding secondary image element from the created page window; and displaying the page window on a computer display screen.
13. The method for displaying images for a computer controlled process on a computer display screen as claimed in claim 12 , wherein retrieving a base image further comprises loading the retrieved base image into a display memory.
14. The method for displaying images for a computer controlled process on a computer display screen as claimed in claim 12 , wherein retrieving a secondary image further comprises determining which secondary image to retrieve from a plurality of secondary images.
15. The method for displaying images for a computer controlled process on a computer display screen as claimed in claim 12 , wherein retrieving a secondary image further comprises storing the retrieved secondary image in display storage.
16. The method for displaying images for a computer controlled process on a computer display screen as claimed in claim 12 , wherein retrieving a base image further comprises retrieving a base image that includes at least one of a base control element, a base static element and a base status element.
17. The method for displaying images for a computer controlled process on a computer display screen as claimed in claim 12 , wherein retrieving a secondary image further comprises retrieving a secondary image that includes at least one of a secondary control element, a secondary static element and a secondary status element.
18. The method for displaying images for a computer controlled process on a computer display screen as claimed in claim 12 , wherein retrieving a base image further comprises deriving a final base image from a plurality of base images.
19. A computer system adapted to displaying page windows for a computer controlled process on a computer display screen, including: a processor; a memory comprising software instructions that to enable the computer system to: retrieve a base image composed of at least one base image element from storage; retrieve a secondary image composed of at least one secondary image element from storage; merge the retrieved base image with the retrieved secondary image, thereby creating a page window, wherein the retrieved secondary image completely overlays the retrieved base image, thereby creating the page window, and during the merger, if a base image element has a corresponding secondary image element, the merger blanks out both the base image element and the corresponding secondary image element from the created page window; and display the page window on a computer display screen.
20. The computer system adapted to displaying images for a computer controlled process as claimed in claim 19 , wherein retrieving a base image further comprises retrieving a base image that includes at least one of a base control element, a base static element and a base status element.
21. The computer system adapted to displaying page windows for a computer controlled process as claimed in claim 19 , wherein retrieving a secondary image further comprises retrieving a secondary image that includes at least one of a secondary control element, a secondary static element and a secondary status element.
22. The computer system adapted to displaying page windows for a computer controlled process as claimed in claim 19 , wherein retrieving a base image further comprises deriving a final base image at run-time from a plurality of base images prior to retrieval.
23. A computer program product for enabling a computer to display page windows for a computer controlled process on a computer display screen, comprising: software instructions for enabling the computer to perform predetermined operations, and a tangible computer readable medium encoded with the software instructions; wherein the predetermined operations comprise: retrieving a base image composed of at least one base image element from memory; retrieving a secondary image composed of at least one secondary image element from memory; merging the retrieved base image with the retrieved secondary image, wherein the retrieved secondary image completely overlays the retrieved base image, thereby creating the page window, and during the merger, if a base image element has a corresponding secondary image element, the merger blanks out both the base image element and the corresponding secondary image element from the created page window; and displaying the page window on a computer display screen.
24. A method for presenting a page window for a computer controlled process, wherein the method comprises: retrieving a base image comprising at least one base image element responsive to either control or status stimuli; retrieving a secondary image comprising at least one secondary image element responsive to either control or status stimuli; merging the base image and secondary image, wherein the retrieved secondary image completely overlays the retrieved base image, thereby creating the page window, and during the merger, if a base image element has a corresponding secondary image element, the merger blanks out both the base image element and the corresponding secondary image element from the created page window; and displaying the page window.
25. The method for presenting a page window for a computer controlled process as claimed in claim 24 , wherein retrieving a base image further comprises deriving a final base image from a plurality of base images prior to retrieval.
26. A computer system adapted to presenting a page window for a computer controlled process, comprising: a processor; a memory comprising software instructions adapted to enable the computer system to: retrieve a base image including at least one base image element responsive to either control or status stimuli; retrieve a secondary image including at least one secondary image element responsive to either control or status stimuli; merge the base image and secondary image, wherein the retrieved secondary image completely overlays the retrieved base image, thereby creating the page window, and during the merger, if a base image element has a corresponding secondary image element, the merger blanks out both the base image element and the corresponding secondary image element from the created page window; and displaying the page window.
27. The computer system adapted to presenting a page window for a computer controlled process as claimed in claim 26 , wherein retrieving a base image further comprises deriving a final base image from a plurality of base images prior to retrieval.
28. A computer program product for enabling a computer to present a page window for a computer controlled process, comprising: software instructions for enabling the computer to perform predetermined operations, and a tangible computer readable medium encoded with the software instructions; wherein the predetermined operations comprise: retrieving a base image comprising at least one base image element responsive to either control or status stimuli; retrieving a secondary image comprising at least one secondary image element responsive to either control or status stimuli; merging the base image and secondary image, wherein the retrieved secondary image completely overlays the retrieved base image, thereby creating the page window, and during the merger, if a base image element has a corresponding secondary image element, the merger blanks out both the base image element and the corresponding secondary image element from the created page window; and displaying the page window.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
March 7, 2000
January 3, 2006
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.